Kretek cigarettes: content and dangers for health & bull; hello healthy

Cigarettes have many types, from electric or vape to kretek. Kretek cigarettes are an original Indonesian product that is widely known to foreign countries. However, do you know what kretek actually is? For more details, here is a review of kretek cigarettes.

What are kretek?

According to Indonesian Industrial Standards from the Indonesian Ministry of Industry, kretek cigarettes are cigarettes with or without filters that use chopped tobacco. This type of cigarette is also mixed with chopped cloves and rolled in cigarette paper.

Kretek cigarettes usually have a distinctive smell and a "kretek-kretek" sound from the burning of the cloves. The sound of kretek is the reason for the naming of cigarettes.

Cigarettes are then enjoyed by inhaling smoke from the burning of tobacco and cloves and other ingredients in them.

The content of kretek cigarettes

Kretek cigarettes generally consist of two main ingredients, namely tobacco and cloves. Kretek cigarettes usually consist of 60 to 80 percent tobacco and 20 to 40 percent clove buds and clove oil.

The higher the cloves, the stronger the taste, smell, and sound. In addition, kretek cigarettes sometimes contain additional ingredients such as cumin, cinnamon, or nutmeg.

In kretek cigarette smoke, there are five compounds that are not found in white cigarette smoke (filter cigarettes), namely eugenol (clove oil) and its derivatives.

Clove oil and its derivatives actually provide a therapeutic effect as an anti-inflammatory. This material works by inhibiting the production of prostaglandins, triggers antibacterial, and as an anesthetic topical.

However, if consumed for a long time and in high concentrations, this material can cause necrosis.

Necrosis is the death of cells and body tissues. This condition can occur due to injury, radiation, or certain chemicals. When the dead tissue is large enough, this condition is called gangrene.

Apart from cloves, kretek cigarettes also contain nicotine just like other cigarettes. The nicotine content in these cigarettes usually reaches 3 to 5 times.

Not only that, according to research published in the Western Journal of Medicine, these cigarettes produce a higher tar content compared to ordinary filter cigarettes.

Tar produced from these cigarettes ranges from 34 to 65 mg. The details are from nicotine of 1.9 to 2.6 mg, and carbon monoxide around 18 to 28 mg per stem.

This high tar production is probably due to a combination of four factors, namely:

• Tobacco
• Cigarette weight
• Number of puffs when smoking
• Tar residue left behind by clove buds

The dangers of kretek cigarettes for health

All types of cigarettes have health hazards, including kretek. The following are various health problems arising from consuming kretek cigarettes:

Addictive

The higher levels of nicotine in clove cigarettes than in regular filter cigarettes make the risk of addiction very high. Nicotine is a substance that is so addictive that it makes a person want to keep burning his cigarette.

When nicotine is consumed, dopamine is released naturally in the brain. Dopamine is a hormone that prompts the brain to repeat the same behavior over and over. Now, every time a cigarette is smoked, the brain is like being hit by dopamine.

A smoker usually smokes 10 or more times per cigarette. Therefore, a person who smokes about one pack (25 cigarettes) per day can get 250 nicotine hits or spikes.

This amount is enough to get used to the brain to continue using nicotine. The effect will continue to be even stronger when you continue to use nicotine.

Apart from nicotine, eugenol is also strongly suspected to have mild psychotropic effects. In several studies it was found that many users feel a certain euphoria when inhaling cigarette smoke.

Problems with the lungs and respiratory system

Reporting from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking kretek can increase the risk of acute lung injury.

These injuries generally include decreased oxygen, fluid in the lungs, leaks from blood capillaries, and inflammation. This condition is especially susceptible to attacking people with asthma or respiratory infections.

In addition, kretek smokers also have a risk of experiencing abnormal lungs 13 to 20 times compared to nonsmokers.

Emphysema

Emphysema is a condition when the air sacs in the lungs or alveoli are damaged, one of which occurs due to prolonged exposure to cigarette smoke.

Over time, the inner walls of the air sacs weaken and break. As a result, this condition can reduce the amount of oxygen reaching the blood.

When you exhale, the damaged alveoli don't work properly and old air becomes trapped. As a result, there is no room for the entry of fresh, oxygen-rich air. Most people with emphysema also suffer from chronic bronchitis.

Even though the condition is quite severe, the sufferer may not realize that he has this one health problem for years. The main symptom of emphysema is shortness of breath which usually starts gradually.

Initially emphysema may only cause shortness of breath with strenuous exertion. But slowly, the symptoms can start to interfere with daily tasks. Emphysema eventually causes shortness of breath even when a person is resting.

Chronic bronchitis

Chronic bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchial tubes, which are the parts that carry air to the lungs. This inflammation makes the tubes produce too much mucus. As a result, a person continues to cough and has difficulty breathing.

Smoking is a major factor in chronic bronchitis. This condition cannot be cured but the symptoms can be managed, one of which is by stopping smoking, including consuming kretek.

Pulmonary edema

Pulmonary edema is a condition caused by excess fluid in the lungs. This fluid collects in many air sacs in the lungs so that it becomes difficult for a person to breathe.

Acute or sudden pulmonary edema is a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment.

Inhaling cigarette smoke from kretek cigarettes can damage the membrane between the air sacs and capillaries. As a result, it is possible that fluid will enter a person's lungs.

This is because the lungs contain many elastic air sacs called alveoli. Every time a person breathes, these air sacs will absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide without any problems.

Damage can cause the alveoli to fill with fluid so that oxygen is not absorbed into the bloodstream.

When a person has acute pulmonary edema, he will experience various symptoms such as:

• Very short breaths that make it difficult to breathe and will worsen with activity or lying down
• Feelings of suffocating or drowning when lying down
• Wheezing or wheezing giggle
• Cool, clammy skin
• Restless or feeling anxious
• Cough with foamy sputum which may be accompanied by blood
• Lips turn blue
• Fast and irregular heartbeat

However, the signs and symptoms of pulmonary edema actually vary widely. It all depends on the severity and type of edema being experienced.

Increase the risk of cancer

The CDC, states that in the United States smoking causes 90 percent of lung cancer deaths. Either e-cigarettes or e-cigarettes, filters, or kreteks all increase the risk of lung cancer.

The chemicals in cigarette smoke can affect the entire body. Some of them can damage DNA. Each cigarette that damages DNA can cause a buildup of cells that can lead to cancer. The content of benzo (a) pyrene, for example, can damage the part of the DNA that is responsible for protecting against cancer cells.

In addition, the chemicals in tobacco smoke also damage the body's natural detoxification system. As a result, the smoker's body is less able to get rid of the toxins in the body than those who don't smoke.

Although the body is designed to deal with the damage that occurs, the problems caused by the harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke are often intolerable.

That's why smoking causes so many cancers. Not only lung cancer, a number of other cancers can also appear and the risk increases if you continue to smoke. Here are the various types of cancer that often attack smokers:

• Mouth
• Esophagus
• Cervix
• Kidney
• Heart
• Pancreas
• Bladder
• 12 finger intestine
• Stomach

Heart problems

Carbon monoxide is a dangerous gas that is inhaled when smoking. When carbon monoxide enters the lungs, this compound will move automatically into the bloodstream. This is especially dangerous because carbon monoxide reduces the amount of oxygen carried in red blood cells.

In addition, carbon monoxide can also increase the amount of cholesterol stored in the lining of the arteries. Over time, this buildup can cause the arteries to harden. As a result, this condition can increase the risk of heart disease, artery disease, and heart attacks.

Apart from carbon monoxide, nicotine can also damage the heart. The reason is, nicotine can cause an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, blood flow to the heart, and narrowing of blood vessels. This compound can last in the body six to eight hours depending on how often you smoke.

Reproductive system problems

Men and women who smoke are more likely to have fertility problems than those who don't. This applies to those who smoke anything from vape to kretek.

The chemicals in kretek cigarettes can damage the eggs and sperm, thus affecting the health of the baby. This is because smoking affects:

• DNA in eggs and sperm
• Male and female hormone production
• The ability of a fertilized egg to reach the uterus
• Environment in the uterus

Men who smoke will have problems getting a successful erection and maintaining it. In addition, smoking also damages the DNA in the sperm which is transferred to the baby. In fact, for heavy smokers (more than 20 cigarettes per day), fertilization increases the risk of leukemia in the developing fetus.

Problems with pregnancy

Women who smoke during pregnancy are also more prone to miscarriage than those who do not smoke. Each cigarette smoked increases the risk of miscarriage by one percent.

Not only that, babies who are carrying it also tend to have an increased risk of low birth weight. As a result, babies are at risk of being born prematurely and experiencing birth defects.

Smoking also increases a woman's risk of having an ectopic pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy is a condition when the baby develops outside the womb. Not only does it endanger the mother, cigarette smoke will also prevent the baby from developing and surviving.

The mother also tends to have premature rupture of the membranes and the placenta which separates from the uterus prematurely. The lungs, brain, and nervous system of the fetus are also susceptible to damage

Which is better: filter cigarettes or kretek?

Filter cigarettes are the type that are sold in the market and have a filter or filter at one end. The filter on cigarettes is said to function to filter tar and nicotine in tobacco so that it is not inhaled or minimizes it.

But the fact is, filters can only block the large tar and nicotine particles. The rest, the small particles that are there will be inhaled and enter the lungs.

Cigarette filters are usually made of cellulose acetate which is usually obtained from processed wood. These fibers can actually enter and be inhaled into cigarette smoke and accumulate in it.

So, which one is better? Truly nothing is better than the other. All cigarettes are harmful to health whether it is smoked with filters or kretek.

However, one study found that people who smoked unfiltered had twice the risk of dying from lung cancer than other smokers. In addition, unfiltered smoking, including kretek, was also associated with a 30 percent higher risk of death from any cause.

Therefore, pseudo-smoking is bad and can increase the risk of lung cancer and lung cancer death. However, according to Dr. Nina Thomas from the Medical University of South Carolina, in Charleston, said that unfiltered cigarettes like kretek have the highest risk or danger of all types of cigarettes.

People who smoke unfiltered are 40 percent more likely to develop lung cancer. In addition, they were also a third more likely to experience nicotine dependence than other smokers. Compared to other cigarettes, unfiltered cigarettes are thought to be more dangerous because of their high tar content.

So, both filter cigarettes and kretek are both dangerous. No need to choose one of them just because it is safer. No cigarette is safe for health. This habit will only trouble you in the future and reduce your quality of life.